


The Longest Night

by Talsi74656



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: A little bit of angst, F/M, Solstice, myths and legends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 08:31:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10805523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talsi74656/pseuds/Talsi74656
Summary: While examining an ancient artefact Janeway and Chakotay are pulled into some form of simulation telling the story of 'The Longest Night'.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lodessa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lodessa/gifts).



> During the holidays I asked for prompts for holiday fics. I said I would pick one prompt and I picked lodessa's.  
> lodessa asked:  
> I’d love something about the transitional nature of the solstice and changing course (personal, relationship, etc), either generated by Chakotay (anthropology or personal background stuff) or an alien species with some sort of tradition/belief around it
> 
> I'm not sure this quite fulfils the prompt, but I hope it's close enough? It's more a myth around solstice.
> 
> This is also kinda different from my other stories, so I hope it... makes sense?

Forgotten in time, left to rot within the ruins of an ancient city, stood a slim, stone plinth, atop which sat a sphere of gold, laced with a dozen silver bands. The bands lay on odd angles, criss-crossing one another in no obvious, discernible pattern, only adding to the mystery of the object. The plinth was bordered by four tall pillars that, once upon a time, had been carved with a language native to this world. Now the words were difficult to make out, which of course didn't help with the translations.  
  
The display itself lay in the centre of the once great city, now overgrown with native foliage. Nothing lived near the plinth, however. The display seemed to be the only vine free area of the city, which in and of itself was something of a mystery.  
  
"What do you think it is?" Harry questioned no one in particular.  
  
Kathryn glanced down to her tricorder. The sphere registered a low energy signature, another oddity that had drawn the away team to its position. Apart from the fact that the energy source was centuries old, there was nothing particularly significant about the sphere — at least where their scans were concerned.  
  
"My guess would be an: object of worship," Chakotay posited. He'd taken it upon himself to attempt to translate the text on the four pillars surrounding the plinth, though she couldn't imagine how difficult the task might be, given the dying light of the setting sun and the lack of reference materials.  
  
"Whatever it is, it's old," Tom piped up.  
  
"Around ten thousand years old," Chakotay confirmed.  
  
Kathryn had come up with a similar result, but hopefully they could narrow that number a bit more.  
  
How fascinating this place was. She couldn't help but wonder about the knowledge buried all around them. Perhaps once Chakotay was proficient with his translations she could convince him to stay a little longer and learn more about the culture. Well, Chakotay was an anthropologist — she might just have to force him to leave... if she could pull herself away.  
  
"And how are the translations coming, Commander?" Kathryn asked.  
  
He bobbed his head from side to side. "Not as well as I'd hoped, to be honest. I'm not sure if the text is too eroded to read properly, but the words seem disparate and random." He motioned to a line of text. "This word means 'together', this one 'respect' and the third 'devotion'."  
  
Kathryn frowned thoughtfully. "It sounds like you're right about this being a place of worship. Maybe the words are values expected of worshipers?"  
  
"They come together in respect and devotion of the sphere?" Tom added.  
  
"That does sound-" Chakotay stopped mid sentence as all three open tricorders began to bleep.  
  
"Energy levels are increasing, Captain," Seven stated.  
  
Glancing at her own tricorder, Kathryn took a step back from the plinth, just to be safe.  
  
"Any idea what it's doing?" Her readings only showed the increase in energy output, but Seven had spent more time studying the object, maybe the spike had given her an idea?  
  
Seven's brow rose and she shook her head. "I am uncertain, but, Captain, the levels are continuing to rise."  
  
As though to punctuate Seven's point, the sphere began to glow and the bands of silver began to revolve, like — "They're planets," Kathryn realised aloud. "This is a representation of the star system."  
  
"An astute observation, Captain, but energy levels are rising well above acceptable parameters. I believe we should vacate the area, immediately."Tthere was an unusual measure of urgency in Seven's voice as she spoke.  
  
"Alright, let's head back to the shuttle," before she'd even given the order the rest of the team had begun to pack away their equipment. Kathryn tapped her comm badge. "Janeway to Voyager."  
  
"Tuvok here, Captain, is everything alright?"  
  
"The energy output of the object we were studying has begun to increase. We're going to head back to the shuttle, just to be safe."  
  
If Tuvok responded, Kathryn didn't hear it. An ear piercing, whip-like _crack_ sounded over the away team, causing all five members to drop to their knees and cover their ears. For a heartbeat, Kathryn thought her eardrums had burst. All she could hear was a high-pitched humm and it was apparent the rest of her team were having the same sort of trouble.  
  
She motioned to the south, toward the shuttle earning a slight nod from Tom, who began to move in the direction. Harry noticed his departure and began to follow, abandoning his equipment in the process. Seven wasn't too far behind the pair.  
  
Chakotay made his way toward Kathryn and helped her to her feet, but before they could so much as take a step in the direction of the shuttle, another 'crack' sounded around them, followed by a blinding flash of light.  
  
When Kathryn glanced up she was shocked to see that they were no longer in the ruins. They stood in a large, open hall; the ceiling must have been ten feet tall. White stone pillars, painted with gold gilding at the base and near the roof, lined the opulently decorated room. Broad windows lined to far wall reaching from floor to ceiling, covered only in filmy, off-white curtains.  
  
The decorations in the room were as lavish as the room itself. Topiary shrubs, cut into strange creatures Kathryn didn't recognise, were placed in large white pots, one below each pillar. Near the windows she could see cushions in brilliant red, yellow, orange, pink and purple, were arranged in groups. Down one end of the hall stood a massive, dark strained wooden double door, also gilt in gold and on the other end, atop a dais and set to a backdrop of brightly coloured curtains, sat a simple, wooden throne.  
  
The room was empty, but for herself and Chakotay who gazed around with as much wonder as Kathryn.  
  
Interestingly she felt fine or at least, her hearing seemed to be back to normal.  
  
"Where are we?" The question seemed rather foolish, Chakotay would have no idea, nevertheless those were the first words that slipped past her lips.  
  
"I don't know — it reminds me a little of an ancient Greek or maybe Roman throne room," he took a step toward one of the pillars and touched the grainy looking surface.  
  
"But created from a description, perhaps" Kathryn added. The detail, looked right, for the most part, but the materials were all wrong.  
  
Chakotay glanced back toward her and gave a concurrent nod, but his attention returned to the pillar; his expression becoming puzzled.  
  
"The real question might be: when are we," Chakotay nodded to the pillar before him and Kathryn took a step forward to see small indentations like the writing he'd found on the columns in the ruins.  
  
"Welcome," a voice spoke behind them.  
  
They both jumped, turning back to see a woman who appeared human, with dark hair, olive skin and dark eyes.  
  
Kathryn stepped forward and stuck up a confident pose. "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway and this is my first officer, Commander Chakotay."  
  
"I sense that you have come from afar," the woman greeted them. "I am Lyalla and I shall be your guide."  
  
Kathryn shared a curious glance with Chakotay.  
  
"Our guide?"  
  
"You have come here now to experience the tale of the Priestess and her most loyal follower."  
  
"Excuse me, but we need to get back to our ship," Kathryn attempted, but the woman continued on.  
  
"Together, take this journey through the story of forbidden love and terrible betrayal. Beware those who show no respect, for this is no adventure for the weak at heart."  
  
"I think she's a simulation," Chakotay surmised. Kathryn had to agree, she'd given little indication that she could interact, beyond simple function.  
  
"Experience the time of Hyidar, Captain of the Moon Guard, and Cyrsola, Priestess of the Sun, in the tale of the longest night." With that Lyalla vanished and before Kathryn could turn to make a comment to Chakotay, the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Since the Captain and Commander's disappearance, less than an hour ago, the away team had returned with detailed holo-images of the pillars and the plinth holding the sphere for study. Tuvok had determined that the area was unsafe and ordered that all continued research should be done aboard Voyager.  
  
B'Elanna was thrilled with the news, of course. Finally she had something interesting to do.  
  
She hated being pregnant. Ok, no she didn't — well, sometimes — well, she hated Starfleet's damn 'no away mission' protocol. Remaining couped up on Voyager for the duration of her pregnancy, while everyone else got to go explore was... aggravating — especially when Tom gloated. Fine, he didn't gloat exactly. He wanted to tell her about all of the wonderful things found on the missions he was a part of. She knew his intention was to keep her involved, but it served the opposite effect.  
  
But now, finally, she had something to do! Not that the Captain and Commander's disappearance was in any way positive. But being able to put her programming expertise to good use, to help with the translations, was better than nothing.  
  
Of course Seven was involved and her propensity to believe herself in charge was still alive and kicking. She'd toned down over the past four year; B'Elanna had to give her that. Regardless, B'Elanna wasn't about to allow Seven's superiority complex get in the way of her command.  
  
So when she heard the former drone say: "Ensign McCullough, you are working on the incorrect segment of text," B'Elanna had to step in.  
  
"I assigned her to the third pillar."  
  
"There are already four people working on that section," Seven began.  
  
"And it's the most highly detailed segment," B'Elanna finished — or so she thought.  
  
"While that is true, the segment's detail allows for easier translation. We should focus our efforts on the more difficult sections."  
  
B'Elanna drew a deep, calming breath. "That's not your call!" she snapped. Her fists clenched as though of their own accord, earning a curious frown from the other woman. _It's not as though I'm actually going to hit you,_ she snarled to herself.  
  
Seven did have a point though. Having extra eyes on the sections that were more difficult to decipher would probably make the overall translation go much quicker. Then again... "And if her team finishes translating the whole third pillar that will free up five people to help with the rest."  
  
"Ah — Lieutenant Torres, I think you'd better take a look at this," Ensign Anders interrupted.  
  
Both B'Elanna and Seven moved to his position.  
  
"I think we've been reading the text incorrectly," he motioned to the words and pointed to a barely noticeable line running vertically between each. "I think the words read down the wall, not across."  
  
"Nice job, Anders," B'Elanna complimented. She noted Seven's brow raise, almost as though she was taking note of the social interaction. B'Elanna thought Seven considered her lessons complete, maybe she'd just decided to be a little more discrete with them?  
  
"Do we have any segments of text that are adequately translated at this stage?"  
  
Anders shook his head. "We were working under the assumption that the text read right to left, due to its structure on the first pillar. At this stage we still only have bits and pieces."  
  
"Let everyone know what you've found and get everyone to start working on text down the pillar," B'Elanna commanded.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant."  
  
For a moment B'Elanna thought Seven was going to pick back up where she'd left off, instead she bobbed her head to the side thoughtfully and said: "I apologise for arguing, Lieutenant. You are correct — freeing a team up to assist the others is an efficient idea."  
  
B'Elanna was admittedly taken aback by the apology. "Well, thank you."  
  
"I should return to my work," and with that, Seven headed back to the terminal she'd been using.  
  
If that conversation were any indication, maybe B'Elanna could actually enjoy having something to do — insofar as she could enjoy the fact that her Captain and Commander were missing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chakotay didn't wake, so much as become aware of new surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he felt heavier. Glancing down he saw himself decked in a suit of armour, not unlike the armour worn by Starfleet strike teams. Grey and black plating covered a thick and rather comfortable outfit that, despite the obvious heat of the region, seemed to help regulate his body temperature. Holstered against his hip he found a strange device he could only assume was a weapon similar to knuckle dusters and a palm-sized item with a small display, perhaps a scanning device of sorts?  
  
The room he stood in appeared to be some kind of barracks and was packed to the brim with men and women in similar armour, though no one else wore black on their armour. The other odd thing was that they all seemed to be frozen.  
  
Given time he'd have liked to take a look around, but Lyalla appeared in front of him. "You have assumed the role of Hyidar, Captain of the Moon guard. During this story will be scripted events, in which the tale shall be told and free time, in which you may explore."  
  
When she finished speaking she disappeared and those in the room around her began to move.  
  
"Captain," someone spoke from behind him.  
  
His body turned of its own accord. "Adarra, how are the security measures coming?" The voice was his, but the words were not. He had no control over his body. In a panic he attempted to speak, to ask where Kathryn was and how to get back to Voyager.  
  
Lyalla appeared before him again. _'You have attempted to take control of your body during a scripted scene. If you wish to take control, hold your concentration for ten seconds.'_  
  
She vanished again and the scene resumed.  
  
"We have the Chancellor's route plotted and armed security is in place. As for the palace, four of the moon guard will remain with the Priestess at all times during the day and two guards will be posted outside her rooms all night."  
  
Chakotay's panic had subsided, maybe not completely, but understanding that this was a scripted scene certainly helped. Still, he had to figure out where Kathryn was. Given the fact that he was playing one of the two characters mentioned by Lyalla, it was a good bet Kathryn had been placed in the role of the other — the priestess.  
  
"Then I will take my rest in the antechamber," Chakotay heard himself say.  
  
The woman he was talking to, Adarra, gave a hesitant nod, though he could tell she didn't approve.  
  
Apparently Hyidar got the same sense. "What is it?"  
  
The woman glanced to the ground in an anxious, if thoughtful manner. "Sir, I just... is that wise? Given the...” she searched around them as though not wishing for anyone around to overhear. "... _Rumours._ "  
  
Chakotay's curiosity was certainly piqued. _What rumours?_  
  
"I will not allow those damn rumours to compromise the Priestess's security. There is no one better suited to watch over her."  
  
"You would compromise your rest, though?"  
  
"I will rest when the Chancellor is well away from our territories and not before."  
  
With that he turned and began to head toward a pair of large wooden doors. At first he thought the scripted scene may have ended, but he continued walking with apparent purpose. He moved on down a long corridor before coming to a large, intricately decorated door that didn't match any he'd passed.  
  
The room must be large, maybe a mess hall?  
  
He tapped on the door and took a step backwards, waiting for admittance.  
  
Ok, mess hall was unlikely. Perhaps the room was some kind of parliamentary chambers? He was after all the head of the guards.  
  
The door opened and a small woman who bore a fair resemblance to Lyalla motioned for him to enter. A large bed at the side of the room allayed any further guess as to where he was. This must be the Priestess's quarters.  
  
His eyes fell on a figure, being attended to by three women, near a dresser on far side of the room. The figure, he realised quickly, was Kathryn and if her role as the priestess hadn't been obvious before, it certainly was now.  
  
She wore a dress of flowing silk in soft pink, yellow, peach and white. The gown flowed to the ground, leaving a short, but prominent train. Her hair was bedecked with a strange looking crown of thin golden spikes, interspaced evenly around the back of her head and joined by a layer of the same silk in a gradient of peach near her hair to yellow at the edges. The outfit was obviously designed to give her the appearance of the planet's star.  
  
She took his breath away; she always had, but in this dress she was so regal, so elegant and so beautiful. He could hardly tear his eyes from her.  
  
"Leave us," she commanded to the women in attendance.  
  
The four women gave a short nod before heading out the door behind Chakotay.  
  
Kathryn, or more accurately the priestess, waited until they were alone before speaking again. "How are plans for the Chancellor's — _visit_ going?"  
  
Evidently whoever this Chancellor was, they were not well liked here.  
  
"We have the route mapped out and your security has been increased. You will have four guards with you at all times during the day, two on your door and night and I shall take my rest in the antechamber."  
  
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, her calm demeanour dropping for a breath. Whatever caused the change in her countenance, she recovered quickly. "And the Chancellor's security?"  
  
"I'm certain his own guards can manage."  
  
Her expression became one he recognised on Kathryn's face. Her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed, though there was a hint of amusement hidden there. She liked his defiance, but wasn't willing to let him get away without organising something for their visitor.  
  
"Very well, I'll have Adarra organise a watch."  
  
She gave the barest hint of a smile and nodded.  
  
After their conversation Chakotay felt feint. He shook his head and found it responding as directed. He'd been given control of his body again.  
  
Glancing up he noted Kathryn's disorientation as well. Her hand moved to rub her eyes and she had to flick a sash of flowing, pink silk out of the way to do so. "This dress is ridiculous," she muttered.  
  
Chakotay smirked and briefly considered gloating about the comfort of his outfit, but thought better of it.  
  
She stopped fussing and with barely any pause, began searching around the room.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.  
  
Turning back with a wry smile, she motioned to their surrounds. "We seem to have time, I'm exploring." Her eyes twinkled with a familiar excitement and he couldn't help but grin. Her enjoyment was always one of his top priorities, but first and foremost was her safety — he was her first officer, after all.  
  
"Do you think that's wise? Shouldn't we be trying to find a way back to Voyager?"  
  
She began rifling through the drawers in a massive dresser, pulling out various items to examine them curiously.  
  
"I'd wager that the only way back to Voyager is to complete the story," she commented before moving on to a nearby wardrobe.  
  
"Based on?"  
  
She turned back to him and cocked her head to the side. "It's not like you to be this resistant," she commented. When he didn't say anything she continued on. "Lyalla's comments when I first appeared here. She _inferred_ that completing the story would return us to — where we were."  
  
Chakotay couldn't help but wonder what her exact words had been. Still he had to admit, chances were she was correct. What other purpose could this possibly have?  
  
"Come on, Chakotay! This is an anthropologists _dream!_ " She was already on the way to her next target, one of the two large, bay windows. From here, Chakotay could see a broad balcony stretching the length of the room, outside.  
  
"Ok, I concede that point," he agreed. "But you have to promise me that if anything goes wrong we'll try to get back."  
  
She paused mid-step and returned her attention to him. "Of course, if anything goes wrong we'll work on trying to get out of here."  
  
Chakotay nodded, relieved by her willingness to agree.  
  
Kathryn, meanwhile, returned her attention to the windows and as she exited onto the balcony gasped in wonder. "My god, Chakotay, look at this!"  
  
He didn't need a second invitation. As he made his way over he could see that they were rather high up, but it wasn't until he reached the balcony that he could see _just_ how high. They sat at the peak of a mountain, overlooking a huge city of fairly modern design, relative to Earth nowadays. In the distance, maybe twenty or thirty kilometres away, though it could have been further, given their vantage, he spotted a vast ocean.  
  
"It's spectacular," she breathed.  
  
"It really is."


	4. Chapter 4

The team translating the pillars quickly discovered that the object wasn't going to set itself off again, at least not anytime soon. Tuvok had authorised a small team to return and study the sphere directly which Harry was honestly grateful for.  
  
For one thing he was able to observe tonight's meteor shower from the ground, rather than out Voyager's windows. The planet was passing through an asteroid cluster and he'd been eager to see the display from the ground. Thankfully none of the pieces were big enough to make landfall, they burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere providing quite a show for the away team.  
  
"It is — a fascinating sight," Seven stated from behind him. Four years ago or even one year ago she might have chewed him out for becoming distracted as he had. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to change her attitude to something she might have once thought 'irrelevant'. Her recent encounter with Axum probably had quite a lot to do with that, he surmised.  
  
"Beautiful, Seven, it's beautiful," Tom corrected.  
  
"The vaporisation of fragments composed of magnesium, carbon and iron in the planet's atmosphere is beautiful?" she questioned.  
  
"Well yeah, look at it," Tom motioned to the bright streaks across the sky.  
  
She frowned; perhaps her encounter with Axum hadn't changed her as much as Harry had thought. "Those masses would have once formed a satellite for this planet or perhaps another planet in this star system. It is highly likely that a large portion of debris from that cluster is responsible for the destruction of this civilisation."  
  
Tom cleared his throat. "Well I — hadn't really thought about it that way."  
  
Neither had Harry, but disturbing as that possibility was, the shower was still a breathtaking sight.  
  
"Lieutenant," Samantha Wildman addressed Tom behind them.  
  
They turned back to face the ruins where Ensign Wildman and the rest of the away team were working.  
  
"Have you found something?" Tom questioned.  
  
"I believe we've discovered where the Captain and Commander are," she informed them before giving a hesitant frown. "Well, sort of."  
  
She led them back to the plinth and pointed to some of the markings near the base. "Though the words on the pedestal are difficult to make out, we've managed to piece a bit together. It seems this object took people to some kind of test and that participants needed to stand between the pillars to be sent to the testing area."  
  
"I guess that explains why we weren't taken," Tom commented.  
  
"Where is the testing area?" Seven questioned.  
  
Sam shook her head. "We don't know — but it implies they're in some kind of simulated environment."  
  
"Nice work, Ensign," Tom complimented.  
  
"I'll continue our work on the pedestal and see if I can figure out more."  
  
Harry stared at the object thoughtfully, earning a curious look from the others.  
  
"What are you thinking?"  
  
"If this thing teleported the Captain and Commander somewhere on the planet ...” Harry pondered aloud. "— I think I know how to trace where it sent them."  
  
"I already considered the idea," Seven said dismissively. "The residual signature of any transporter would have dissipated long ago."  
  
Harry shook his head. "We already have the signature," he glanced around. "Where's the Captain's tricorder from earlier?" When the object sent out the first burst of energy, she'd dropped her tricorder — open, it would have recorded everything.  
  
"Ah, I think it's with the supplies," Tom pointed to the crate of gear near one of the four pillars.  
  
They followed Harry over and each picked up one of the six tricorders inside to see which had been the Captains.  
  
"This one," Seven announced after seconds. She tapped a couple of buttons to retrieve the data. "There was a signal recorded when the Captain and Commander vanished. We should return to the ship and attempt to track their location."  
  
"You two head back," Tom ordered to Seven and Harry. "Let us know if you find anything."


	5. Chapter 5

Kathryn and Chakotay didn't waste much time in their exploration. After a decent search of the Priestess's quarters they decided to head out and take a look around the building.  
  
With almost no time left, they stumbled onto a garden and decided to take a look at the local flora. There were plants and flowers in a wide variety of colours and sizes. The flowers ranged from brilliant reds to soft blues and even deep, forest green, all interspersed along the garden paths.  
  
Perhaps Kathryn was imagining it, but she could swear the flowers bloomed in their presence. She'd have put rations on the fact that when they entered this court-yard ten minutes ago only around half of the flowers were blossoming. Glancing back the way they came though, the garden seemed to be flourishing. If Chakotay noticed anything, he didn't mention it; it was about the only thing he _didn't_ mention.  
  
Their conversation had thrived from the moment they were alone. First they discussed what had happened to them before their encounter. Chakotay mentioned that there had been rumours about the guard captain and the priestess — around the time she offered her arm for him to escort her around the building. With that in mind they'd proceeded on as they might walk through Voyager.  
  
She told Chakotay about how when she'd entered the simulation she was being dressed by the four handmaidens he'd met earlier. Of course he had a good chuckle at that.  
  
Their introductions were fairly similar though. Both were told about the meeting with the Chancellor and both got the distinct impression that they man wasn't to be trusted.  
  
As they ventured through the garden their topics drifted from alien architecture and the society they were being shown. Was this city the ruin they had discovered? Or was this something else entirely — a work of fiction, perhaps? Whatever the case, the simulation was remarkably realistic — it made the holodecks appear almost primitive.  
  
Their time ran out when they were barely half-way through the garden. Kathryn felt her body become rigid as she lost control, only seconds before a bell tolled.  
  
Everyone nearby began to rush and she turned back the way she'd come with Chakotay — Hyidar on her heels.  
  
They wound their way through the corridors, coming to a large, dark stained wooden door, gilt with gold — the same, she wagered, as those in the hall she and Chakotay had first appeared.  
  
Her suspicion was confirmed when the doors were opened for her by attendants and she began to head up the aisle, to the throne.  
  
Hyidar followed and as she settled into the large seat, he took up position to her left. Three handmaidens came from out of nowhere and began arranging her gown and fixing up her hair while a fourth handed her a tall wooden staff, topped with a golden star that appeared very much like the crown that had been threaded into her hair earlier.  
  
Moments later, another woman dressed in a light blue, silk gown moved up to stand on Kathryn's right. It was about this time she noticed that the room was beginning to fill on either side of the aisle.  
  
The fashion was fascinating; the only drab colours were worn by the moon guard, lining the hall. Everyone else wore bright hues in light fabrics. Most people in the audience had their hair long, but pinned in curls reminding Kathryn of early twentieth century Earth hairstyles in the United States. From her vantage, they were a beautiful sight to see.  
  
Her examination of the crowd proved a successful distraction from the tedium of waiting for the scene to truly begin. The throne wasn't exactly the most comfortable seat she'd sat in and she found the dress bunching in awkward places, causing her to resettle.  
  
Eventually though the massive doors at the end of the aisle opened again and the crowd fell quiet.  
  
A short, slim man, probably rather young from what she could see, entered and held a small device in front of his mouth.  
  
"Presenting his Lordship Arkian, Father of the Parital Doctorate, Sacred Tear of the Rousia Accord and Chancellor of the Great Nation of Aridesh."  
  
Though Kathryn knew basically nothing about this world, she'd have wagered those titles were nothing more than pomp.  
  
The man stepped aside and the doors flew open, admitting a tall, skinny man in a rather extravagant navy blue suit, trimmed in silver and glossy black. Following him were, Kathryn presumed, his guards, ten men in bold red, grey and yellow militaristic uniforms.  
  
As he approached Kathryn stood and took a step forward, waiting for the skinny man to make his way up the dais. His guards broke off, standing to attention on either side of the aisle.  
  
Once he touched the first step she extended her hand and he took it, giving a deep bow. "Your Grace."  
  
She inclined her head only slightly, giving Kathryn the feeling that the Priestess held the more senior position.  
  
"Chancellor, you and your men are welcome in Sieralla's blessed lands. Drink from our sacred wells and rejoice in our bountiful crops."  
  
"We have brought with us our own nourishment, though your offer is gratefully received," the Chancellor answered. Though this sounded like a ceremonial response to her statement, his countenance became rather aggressive.  
  
Could food and water be the driving force of the dispute between these people? Given the apparent technology level, Kathryn couldn't really see how.  
  
"We should adjourn to discuss matters of state," Kathryn heard herself say before motioning toward a well hidden door, to the side of the room.  
  
Two of the Chancellor's guards folded in, following as he headed toward the door. Hyidar and the woman in blue became Kathryn's escorts. Kathryn watched as three more of the Moon guard approached the door they were headed toward and entered first.  
  
The Chancellor swept into the room, apparently dropping all pretence of cordiality.  
  
"Priestess, you know precisely why we have come here today -"  
  
"You intend invasion," Kathryn finished for him.  
  
"Now, let's not be so... blunt," he opened his hands in a placating manner.  
  
"You are amassing troops on my border and are blockading our trade routes. You have forced our allies into non-aggression pacts and halted travel to my realm - _I_ am not the one who is being blunt."  
  
The Chancellor licked his lips almost nervously before taking a seat, in a forced show of relaxation. Kathryn wasn't buying it for a moment.  
  
"You cannot win a direct confrontation," Kathryn hear herself warn.  
  
"I have _far_ greater numbers -"  
  
"And little fire power to back them up. You and your citizenry would be devastated."  
  
"And you would mourn the loss of every life," he countered casually.  
  
She stared at him for a short time, obviously weighing up whether he was mad enough to actually follow through on an attack.  
  
"I would mourn them," she admitted. "But I will still defend my realm with any force necessary."  
  
The woman in blue stepped forward, placing a hand on Kathryn's arm. "I'm certain, Chancellor, that you did not come here to level threats against Sieralla. Perhaps there is another way to resolve this matter?"  
  
The Chancellor stared at her for a long time, as did Kathryn and half the guards in the room.  
  
"Tyanna's right," Kathryn said eventually. "There must be something you want — or you'd have attacked already."  
  
The Chancellor's expression morphed in a rather sickening grin that turned Kathryn's stomach.  
  
"Perhaps there is _some_ arrangement we can come to?"


	6. Chapter 6

He had never come out and stated his wishes directly, but the gist of the conversation was this: the Chancellor wished for the Priestess to either sign an extensive peace accord with his nation that would effectively sign over a great deal of Sieralla's power to him or he wished to wed the Priestess.  
  
This was not Chakotay's world, but the options made him ill. For a short time he thought Hyidar might attack the Chancellor, but somehow he resisted.  
  
Instead he stood quietly becoming more agitated and more miserable as the conversation wore on.  
  
If it hadn't been obvious from Lyalla's description of the story that Hyidar was in love with the Priestess, it certainly was now. Chakotay felt his pain.  
  
No outcome was reached during the discussion. The Priestess deftly manoeuvred around the topics, trying to pose more reasonable solutions to their disagreement, but the Chancellor wasn't easily dissuaded, apparently.  
  
He couldn't help but wonder about the plot of this simulation. Lyalla had said it was a story of love and betrayal, or something to that effect. What if the story was about the Priestess accepting the Chancellor's marriage proposal and Hyidar betraying her? He wasn't certain he could play that part — even if there weren't any real consequences for Kathryn.  
  
The scene had finally ended after they returned to the Priestess's quarters and after a short conversation where he excused himself to the antechamber.  
  
Now he paced awkwardly in the adjoining room, uncertain whether he should interrupt Kathryn. Chances were she'd be readying for bed, given the late hour.  
  
Briefly he considered heading to bed himself, but to be honest, he was too glum to rest. Even knowing that this was a simulation wasn't doing anything for his mood.  
  
Without much forethought he found himself next to the window. This one was much smaller than those in the main room and didn't connect to the balcony, but it still provided a marvellous view of the city and at night it was quite a sight.  
  
The view wasn't enough to distract his mind which ran through scenario after scenario of Kathryn with the Chancellor. He was being ridiculous and irrational, but he couldn't stop.  
  
A tapping noise to his left almost made him jump, until he heard Kathryn call out quietly: "Chakotay?"  
  
She was knocking on the door that joined their rooms.  
  
"Come in," he called out, only remembering after she opened the door that they weren't automatic here.  
  
She's changed from the extravagant gown into a yellow, robe made from something shimmery, like satin. She looked cool and comfortable. She looked beautiful.  
  
Obviously she noticed his gaze lingering. She glanced down before clearing her throat and he turned back toward the window again. "Apparently the Priestess doesn't know how to dress herself. Only moments after we returned, the attendants returned and — well," he saw her motion to herself in the reflection of the glass.  
  
"Maybe the priestess just hates all the choices. It must be much easier this way," he attempted to joke.  
  
Despite his dour tone she still gave a small chuckle. His focus had fallen on the lights outside, so when she appeared next to him he almost jumped again.  
  
Standing so close now, he could smell her perfume, or the Priestess's perfume, he guessed; something sweet and floral, with a spicy undertone. The scent was quite unlike anything he'd encountered before, sort of orange meets spring blossom with a hint of Jasmine — that didn't even come close to an accurate description, but was as close as he could imagine.  
  
"And I thought the view was beautiful during the day," Kathryn commented. She stared in awe at the bright, twinkling lights of the city below and he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking — aside from the obvious.  
  
"It's incredible," Chakotay agreed.  
  
She didn't respond, seemingly lost in the sight of the city.  
  
Nervous as he was about their current situation, it was nice to see Kathryn enjoying herself. She'd been withdrawing further, lately — taking no time for herself and he guessed, only eating properly during their weekly dinners. Honestly, he hadn't noticed her _this_ relaxed in quite some time, maybe even years.  
  
Chakotay shifted so that he could get a better view of the water and incidentally a better view of Kathryn. "There are two moons," he observed.  
  
Kathryn ducked her head to see in the direction he was looking. "The asteroid field," she breathed thoughtfully.  
  
"You think one of the moons was destroyed?"  
  
"It certainly makes sense," she tapped her lip with a finger. "It must have been thousands of years ago, though — given the debris we found." She frowned thoughtfully. "If this even _is_ the same world."  
  
He nodded, comforted in a way by the fact that she'd had the same thoughts as he.  
  
Kathryn finally seemed to notice the room and glanced at the bookcase on the far wall. The antechamber hadn't been part of their earlier search and apparently her curiosity was now piqued, so she made her way to the shelf.  
  
"The books aren't translated very well," Chakotay attempted. "You can read bits and pieces, but the rest is gibberish."  
  
Kathryn wasn't deterred, of course. She selected a thick book with a grey cover and flipped open to a random page. "Centred in the court, laced in flames of Sieralla — breaths a life into...” she shook her head, obviously unable to read the next word. "I see what you mean."  
  
Closing the book, she replaced it on the shelf and began to run her fingers along the spines, as though the touch might pass on the knowledge held within. For a moment he thought she was lost in thought again, but she turned ever so slightly back toward Chakotay, licking her lips as though nervous.  
  
"Do you — seem to experience Hyidar's emotions?"  
  
_Oh, that made so much sense_. With a weak and relieved chuckle he gave a short nod. "He was incredibly jealous during the meeting and worried that the Priestess was going to agree to the Chancellor's terms," he admitted.  
  
She closed her eyes for a second, obviously relieved to hear that he'd had the same sort of experience.  
  
For a time she lingered wordlessly near the bookcase and Chakotay searched for something to say, but came up blank. They'd always found conversation easy, even after their fights. Tonight, however, he couldn't think of a single thing, beyond _Kathryn_ , and Hyidar's jealousy.  
  
"I think I should turn in for the night," she filled the silence.  
  
He nodded in agreement and gave a light smile. "Sleep well, Kathryn.”


	7. Chapter 7

Kathryn woke, surprised to find herself still here in this... place, this simulation. She'd held out a vain hope that Voyager might find a way to get them back by now. As enthusiastic as she was to explore this culture, she still had a job to do and spending more than a day here felt like a betrayal of her crew. The thought was ridiculous, of course. There was nothing she could do, beyond playing out the story, or so she suspected.  
  
Just as she was about to sit up she felt her body become rigid again as yet another scripted scene began.  
  
There was a rapping on the doors to her chamber. She'd barely woken, how could anyone possibly know she was awake?  
  
"Enter," she called out. Not waiting for her visitors, she threw her blankets to the side and hopped out of bed.  
  
Unsurprisingly her body was weary. Yesterday's talks had been exhaustive and when she made it back to Voyager she might just sleep for a week. If she had to endure another day of argument she might just take over her own body and agree to the man's terms — probably not the ideal way to finish the story, but that could be an easy out — if they needed one.  
  
"The Chancellor has taken up on my gracious offer to tour the city, so you should have the opportunity to complete the rite of Sieralla and grant audience to those who applied for supplication yesterday," Tyanna spoke quickly as she entered.  
  
She was followed by the four handmaidens Kathryn had met yesterday all of whom made a bee-line for her dresser.  
  
"Very good, Tyanna, I trust you'll keep him out of harm's way," the Priestess responded in an amused tone.  
  
"That was the intention, your Grace, but if you have another suggestion -"  
  
The other woman almost sounded frustrated and Kathryn couldn't help but wonder whether she was losing something in the translation.  
  
"We should be gone for a number of hours — I trust we have your leave to return by arvenbell?"  
  
"Tyanna, you can shove him in the ocean and return immediately, if you feel so inclined," the Priestess quipped. She could feel her own amusement, the satisfaction of a line well delivered, despite its dark undertones.  
  
"Yes, that would be _one_ way to start a war," Tyanna retorted. Kathryn didn't know the woman, but her body language and tone suggested she was rather displeased with the Priestess, though Kathryn couldn't figure out why... until her eyes flicked to the door to the antechamber. So she thought there was something going on between the Priestess and Hyidar? Or maybe she had an interest in Hyidar and thought the Priestess was too?  
  
Honestly, it wouldn't hurt to have some narration or exposition; although this story was probably rather well known on this world. Those who'd visited when the civilisation was flourishing, likely didn't need any explanation.  
  
"Tyanna, I do thank you for keeping the Chancellor company," the Priestess attempted earnestly.  
  
There was another tap on the door, this time the antechamber, before Chakotay's voice could be heard. "Priestess, your escort will be waiting for you outside."  
  
"Very well, thank you, Hyidar."  
  
Kathryn certainly noticed Tyanna's lips tighten this time.  
  
She seemed to consider the situation carefully before deciding to speak up. "Your position can... _ill afford_ such an — _indiscretion_ ," she managed. She appeared more than a little uncomfortable, eyes falling to the ground.  
  
Her words hit a little close to home and Kathryn began to feel more than a little guilty, on her own behalf and the Priestess's.  
  
"Tyanna," the Priestess soothed quietly. "We have worked together for years. There is nothing between us, but friendship."  
  
The other woman appeared aggravated, but spoke no further. She remained for a short time before leaving wordlessly. If the Priestess thought anything of the conversation, she gave no indication.  
  
Kathryn was dressed in a deep peach coloured slip dress, a heavy robe of gold, orange and yellow, with another crown, similar to yesterdays, but the linking fabric was the same colour as her dress. The material today wasn't quite as light as the day before and she found herself struggling in the heat of the day.  
  
She proceeded through the halls with an escort of her four handmaidens and four Moon Guard, one of whom was Chakotay. They made their way to the lower levels to what one of the handmaidens offhandedly referred to as the central chamber. Another handmaiden greeted them at the door and handed her the staff she'd been given to greet the Chancellor.  
  
When the doors opened she was stunned by what she saw. She hadn't realised before, but the building they were in had apparently been built into the side of a volcano. The colossal chamber they entered had been constructed around pool of lava.  
  
The room itself wasn't drab. Though there was no natural lighting, artificial lights were hung across the roof, keeping this cavern well lit. Curtains were hung around the room and cooling units had been placed all around, which kept the room at a rather decent temperature.  
  
This must have been the blessing of Sieralla, so was the Volcano Sieralla?  
  
Her escorts all made their way toward the side of the room, joining other guards and palace workers. Kathryn however, made her way to the lava and stood eerily close to the edge. There was about three meters of rock before the magma, but the heat here was still quite intense. As was the scent of the sulphur — so overwhelming she felt ill. Had the Priestess not been in control of her body, she might have been sick.  
  
Raising the staff in one hand, the Priestess began to whisper something in a soothing and repetitive rhythm that Kathryn didn't quite understand. Whatever it was, it sounded like a prayer.  
  
Maybe it was Kathryn's imagination, but the lava appeared to pulse as she spoke. Molten bubbles bursting on the emphasis of every other syllable.  
  
When the lava began to lap the edge of the pool she realised that whatever she was doing was certainly having some kind of effect. She didn't move despite the molten fire spitting around her.  
  
Once the lava was basically spilling over the sides of the pit, she stopped chanting and lowered her staff.  
  
There was a rather long silence as the lava began to recede, but when it seemed safe her escort began to return to her side.  
  
"An impressive display, Your Grace," one of the Moon Guard complimented.  
  
"And hopefully indicative of your dealings with the Chancellor," Hyidar added.  
  
She gave him a knowing smile as they turned back toward the chamber entrance. "We could only be so lucky."  
  
Kathryn couldn't wait to hear what Chakotay had to say about the blessing. With luck they would now have some unscripted time to explore further and talk about what had happened.  
  
As they made their way back upstairs Kathryn was surprised to see low shadows outside, how long had the blessing taken, exactly? They must have been in the chamber for hours, but it felt like mere minutes.  
  
Unfortunately the scripted scene persisted and they headed into the throne room, probably for supplication. Kathryn groaned internally as she saw the rather large line waiting to be heard. Their next opportunity to explore and chat appeared to be quite a while away, apparently.


	8. Chapter 8

Chakotay had no idea how to react to the blessing. Though the event had taken hours, it was spectacular and also a little frightening. Kathryn standing so close to the lava in the first place had caused him to almost take over his body and pull her back, but he realised quickly that she wasn't being harmed, despite the spitting fire. He saw her hit a number of times, but this simulation seemed to be like a holodeck simulation — it was comforting to know they couldn't be injured, if nothing else.  
  
The Priestess's power seemed to be great. He'd thought the flowers blooming in the garden yesterday was part of the romance of the story, but it made sense that it was actually part of the plot. The Priestess must be a representative of the system's star, with 'powers' comparative to what most civilisations might believe a star would have: giving life and fuelling flame for instance.  
  
If only the books in the antechamber were readable. Then again he wouldn't get any sleep if that were the case. The best he could hope for was more information in the plot.  
  
There was also observation. The supplication, while long, seemed to be a decent source of knowledge about the life and times of these people. Their requests were varied, from a farmer whose crops hadn't given full yield to doctors wishing to practice in free clinics. The society seemed remarkably generous as a whole. Many of the supplicants came to donate to various other groups while others came to request financial aid.  
  
Almost two hours after supplication began, Tyanna and the Chancellor returned, making their way to the head of the crowd, as a bedraggled young woman knelt at the foot of the dais.  
  
The Priestess ignored the newcomers and addressed the woman on the step before her. "You have come in supplication. Speak your desire."  
  
"I come from Aridesh," the woman spoke in a quiet rush. "And I wish for asylum under Your Grace's sacred walls." It was obvious that she was hoping for the Chancellor and his men to not hear.  
  
The Priestess seemed to realise this as well. She stood from her throne and reached out a hand to the young woman. "Your wish is granted, your safe harbour granted. May you live well in Sieralla's embrace," she said quickly.  
  
The damage was done, however. Somehow the Chancellor knew the woman was from Aridesh. He stormed forward and made an attempt to grab at the woman's arm. Kathryn stepped up next to her, her grip on the staff tightening as she did so.  
  
"This woman is now a citizen of my land," her tone conveyed a deep anger that should have made the man flinch — or it would have, if he were wise.  
  
"She is not _your_ citizen. She is Arideshi and she will be returning with us!"  
  
"Your lands would leave her to starve on the streets, but here she can have life, a home, employment. Your petty denial is noted and refused."  
  
The Chancellor began to speak again, but Chakotay missed what he was saying. Hyidar noticed out of the corner of his eye the flash of metal as one of the Chancellor's men pulled a weapon. Swiftly he barged the Chancellor aside, taking position in front of the Priestess and held an arm up, tapping a small button he hadn't even noticed before.  
  
A small force field erected in front of them, deflecting the blast of some kind of incendiary weapon. People in the room screamed in fear as the blast struck one of the nearby pillars. The pillar remained stable, but fire began to catch.  
  
He saw from his peripheral vision, Kathryn thrust her staff in the direction of the man who had fired the shot. A 'whip' of molten fire lanced out, striking him in the chest and sending him to the floor instantly.  
  
Hyidar remained in place with his shield up, protecting the Priestess as Moon Guards poured in from every side. Wisely, the Chancellor's men raised their hands. He was vaguely aware of men and women moving toward the pillar, to put out the fire, but a majority of his concentration remained on the situation at hand.  
  
"Your Grace," the Chancellor groaned as he pulled himself back to his feet. "Please, he acted alone."  
  
Chakotay turned slightly to see Kathryn with her staff pointed at the man. To his surprise she had blood dripping down the sleeve of her robe, though it didn't appear to be bothering her at all.  
  
"She will remain here and you will leave at first light tomorrow. Our discussions are done."  
  
The Chancellor's expression became panicked. "Your Grace, he was one man. Do you really wish to push toward a war, for his actions?"  
  
Kathryn lowered the staff, seemingly considering what the man was saying. "Remove yourselves or face my wrath now."  
  
The Chancellor bowed low and backed away, tripping over the body of his guard as he moved. His remaining escort, though on edge, followed along behind. With a nod from Hyidar most of the guards followed, obviously intent on making certain they did indeed leave.  
  
"Your Grace, you've been hit!" the young woman gasped.  
  
Hyidar turned to watch the scene and saw the gash across her shoulder. The wound was rather deep.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked in a rush.  
  
" _I_ am fine," the Priestess answered before turning to the young woman again. "Are _you_ alright?"  
  
The woman appeared shocked that she was even a consideration. "Of — of course, Your Grace."  
  
Chakotay could feel Hyidar's impatience. He didn't care about the young woman, of course it was wonderful that she'd survived, but he needed to know how the Priestess truly was.  
  
"What's your name?" the Priestess questioned the girl.  
  
"Ah — Sichari, Your Grace," she gave a small curtsy.  
  
"Tyanna, can you please find Sichari some accommodation for the evening and ask the mistress of the house to meet with her for employment?"  
  
Tyanna stared at her for a moment before finally giving a short nod. "Of course, Your Grace."  
  
The pair moved off leaving Chakotay and Kathryn alone again. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and when she opened them she winced.  
  
"Chakotay, it hurts," she whispered.  
  
In a panic he almost forgot what he'd been told about taking over during a scripted scene. But he centred himself and concentrated for ten seconds, feeling his body relax again.  
  
"It hurts," he confirmed before moving to her side to attempt a visual inspection of the wound. It didn't appear too bad, but that wasn't what worried him; she had been injured. He, at least, had been playing this entire story like a holodeck adventure — as though they were invincible.  
  
She pulled the robe back from her shoulder and held her hand over the cut which, while bleeding a great deal, wasn't too deep. Despite being superficial, Chakotay couldn't help but be worried for her.  
  
"We need to figure out how to get out of here," she whispered.  
  
"Agreed."


	9. Chapter 9

The wound on Kathryn's arm was healed, though not quite as effectively as a dermal regenerator might have done. The area was stiff and bruised, but was no longer any cause for concern.  
  
They were given around an hour to explore before the next scripted scene had Kathryn returning to the Priestess quarters and Chakotay heading to the antechamber again.  
  
Why it bothered to separate them was beyond Kathryn; she found herself pacing the room for a short time before making a beeline for the antechamber door and tapping softly.  
  
Chakotay, or more accurately Hyidar, opened the door with a curious and almost worried frown.  
  
"Is everything alright, Priestess?" He was the only person who called her that. She couldn't help but ponder the reason. Perhaps as the Captain of the Moon Guard he was entitled to call her by her title? Or perhaps, as the case with herself and Chakotay, he was the closest person to her and the lines between their hierarchy and their friendship were blurred for him.  
  
"I wondered, if you haven't had dinner, would you dine with me?" she questioned rather cautiously.  
  
The surprise on his expression was evident. Evidentially he'd never received an invitation to dine with her.  
  
She motioned to the food that had been brought in a short time ago by one of her handmaidens. There was certainly enough for two people.  
  
He gave a small grin and nod and she stepped back, allowing him to pass her.  
  
A fluttering sensation invaded her stomach and she felt nervous. Until now she'd pushed the fact that this story was a romance to the back of her mind. What if this scene was more than it appeared?  
  
While she'd had more than her fair share of private dinners with Chakotay, they had been as colleagues... Well, that's what she liked to tell herself. The truth was, though, every time she insisted to herself that their relationship was purely platonic, he'd give her one of _those_ smiles or he'd say just the right thing, forcing her to realise exactly how she truly felt.  
  
He stopped mid-step and turned toward her. "Priestess, I need to apologise," he said in a breath. His expression turned to hurt and he bowed his head.  
  
"You don't need to apologise," she responded softly.  
  
He didn't appear entirely convinced. "I should have acted quicker. I should have been standing between you that whole time. You were injured because of my inaction."  
  
The Priestess's desire to comfort him and assure him that he'd done nothing wrong was strong. She took a step toward him, closing the gap almost entirely and placed a hand on his cheek in a move reminiscent of one Kathryn herself might make. Their gazes locked and she found the beat of her heart began to pick up; she couldn't be entirely certain whether the reaction was the Priestess's or her own.  
  
Burning curiosity warred with firmly established parameters. Long ago Kathryn and Chakotay had decided that there could be nothing between them while Voyager was still in the Delta Quadrant and this scene was seemingly about to become something more than just dinner. She could easily take control now, before anything happened between them. She _should_ take control.  
  
"You were there when I needed you, as you always are."  
  
"If anything had happened to you..." he whispered.  
  
Her thumb ventured across his jaw, caressing the flesh below his bottom lip. His breathing became stilted and he closed his eyes at her touch.  
  
She really should take over. Although this could simply be a friendly gesture — she'd certainly cupped Chakotay's cheek before and nothing had gotten out of hand then.  
  
Really, she was just making excuses to justify what she knew was about to happen as accidental or unexpected. Given the story's narrative, however, the idea that this was 'just a friendly conversation' was farcical at best. The Priestess and Hyidar were obviously the romance referenced by Lyalla in the beginning.  
  
She felt her hand pulling Chakotay toward her, losing her opportunity to take control as their lips met. Her expectations were high, she'd been 'dreaming' of this moment for years, but his gentle embrace and soft kiss blew them all away.  
  
His arms wrapped behind her, pulling her close. She moved her hand, running fingers through Chakotay's hair, bringing forth an enticing growl.  
  
When they pulled back she realised control had been returned to her; though she felt too breathless and faint to move just yet.  
  
"Kathryn -” Chakotay breathed. "I should have taken over."  
  
Her hand slipped back to cup his cheek and she levelled his gaze to hers. She should have agreed or possible insisted that _she_ should have taken control of herself, instead she asked: "do you regret what just happened?"  
  
He appeared surprised and licked his lips thoughtfully. "Maybe — that it happened like that."  
  
Neither of them released their hold on the other. In fact, Kathryn thought they may just have drifted closer. She was certainly having some trouble keeping her eyes away from his.  
  
In the back of her mind she knew that she needed to withdraw; she knew that she shouldn't have allowed any of this to happen in the first place. But that version of her, the Captain wasn't the one in charge at the moment.  
  
"And if it had happened another way?" she questioned.  
  
He stared at her for a time, likely trying to figure out whether she meant what he thought she meant. She didn't want to lead him; she wanted to know exactly how he felt about her — about the thought of them.  
  
Years ago he'd all but declared his affection for her, but those feelings could have easily faded since, especially given what had happened in the time since.  
  
She _hoped_ that his not taking control had been a sign that he too wanted something more between them.  
  
"You — made it very clear that nothing could happen out here," he responded cautiously.  
  
_Was his avoidance a tactful way to let her down?_ The thought stung a bit more than Kathryn wanted to admit and when he didn't follow his statement up she began to pull her hand back.  
  
"It's just that — I'm worried this isn't you speaking," he added before her hand fell entirely away from his cheek. "I'm worried that this is the Priestess's influence, or the story, or -"  
  
"If I didn't want it to happen, I'd have taken control earlier," she admitted. A relationship with him would be tough aboard Voyager, but she was confident they would manage. After all, minus physical intimacy, they'd practically been dating the past four and a half years anyway.  
  
His face bloomed into a rather beautiful, if nervous smile. "I really hoped you'd say that."


	10. Chapter 10

B'Elanna felt as though she'd been hitting her head against the hull plating for the better part of the last four hours. The revelation that the script read top to bottom had been the best breakthrough they'd made, but actually reading the words and figuring out how to structure the sentences was something else entirely.  
  
Thanks to Ensign Wildman's discovery, they could surmise the Captain and Chakotay had been teleported somewhere and that they were in some kind of trial, but that was about all they'd worked out.  
  
At least she no longer had Seven to contend with. The former drone had been assigned to the team on the planet and B'Elanna felt a lot less tense and a lot more motivated with her absence. The teams had translated most of the first pillar, well, the words and were working on the grammar now.  
  
She had taken a piece on her own; one of the more difficult to make out, which was part of the reason she hadn't bothered to assign it to anyone else.  
  
The stone had been weathered to the point where making out anything was difficult at best. She'd developed a program that was slowly restoring the fragments and spent the time between trying to translate the characters the computer recognised. Of course the thing couldn't clean the images up in order, so she had bits and pieces of sentences and incomplete, all with little to no context.  
  
This _really_ wasn't how she'd intended to spend her day. Four and a half hours ago she'd hoped to get a start on her plans for maternity leave. Carey was, in a way, being thrown in the deep end. She had so much to walk him through and only a couple of months to do so. She'd still be on board, of course, but he'd insisted that he wasn't going to contact her during her time off.  
  
It was probably just her insecurities talking — what if something happened and they managed to sort it out without her? What if they didn't really need her? She'd have a child; the Captain could decide that she should take more of a brake, that Carey should replace her perminantly! It sounded ridiculous, Captain Janeway wouldn't do anything like that, she was certain — and yet the nauseating fear had been welling in her gut for the past couple of months.  
  
She shoved her anxiety aside and attempted to focus on the problem at hand; the long and tedious problem of rescuing their command team.  
  
None of this would have happened if the Captain and Chakotay could contain their _damn_ curiosity. What the hell had they hoped to find in the ruins anyway?  
  
B'Elanna was all for exploration and, well, if given the opportunity she might have been the first to jump at the chance to study the sphere — but when a ten thousand year old artefact comes to life, it's usually a good idea to vacate the area!  
  
Hell, maybe if B'Elanna had been there she could have _stopped_ the damn thing from taking them. Ok, probably not — but she could have done _something!_  
  
She hated feeling useless and this, trying to scrape together a translation from bits and pieces of text worn away over thousands of years, wasn't really helping.  
  
The computer bleeped and a couple of new symbols appeared in the image. On the bright side they completed a paragraph. Maybe now she could make some headway with what this section said.  
  
She pulled up the new image in the second display that she'd set up and began working on the translation. Two of these symbols she hadn't seen before, which would likely take more time, unless someone else had encountered them.  
  
Bringing up the completed translations, she began to search through the symbols and spotted one of the two, which seemed to translate to 'choice'.  
  
Inputting that in the sentence she came up with: 'trial resolution 'something' choice extinguish flame' and then two additional symbols that the crew had figured out must be names.  
  
She stared, perplexed. They suspected the names might be of the characters the Captain and Commander must be playing. So the paragraph had something to do with them and their trial would involve some kind of choice. That wasn't exactly the most helpful section of text they'd translated. Although, extinguish implied that maybe the scenario would end after the choice or perhaps depending on the choice?  
  
She gave a sigh and moved on to the next group of symbols, though not all had been made out yet. Concentrating so hard, she almost missed the flashing light on the second consol indicating that the computer had worked out what the second symbol meant.  
  
_The word probably wouldn't even help anyway, she grumbled to herself. It was probably something obscure or -_  
  
Her train of thought halted when the word flashed on screen: 'Death'.  
  
'Trial resolution death choice extinguish light,' she tapped her comm badge. "B'Elanna to Tuvok."  
  
_"Tuvok here, Lieutenant, have you made progress on the translation?"_  
  
"Yes, Sir — this trial — I think I've figured out how it ends... I think they have to make a choice that will get one of them killed."


	11. Chapter 11

Chakotay couldn't wipe the grin from his face which earned him more than a few amused eye rolls from Kathryn.  
  
He managed to escape back to the antechamber before the Priestess's handmaidens arrived in the morning, to ready her for the day. Though neither of them encountered a scripted event, Chakotay could only imagine how Kathryn had taken to being dressed. Part of him would have loved to have been there to witness that moment.  
  
When he met up with her again she appeared a little more dishevelled than she had — in all likelihood she'd kicked the handmaidens out before they were finished. This time she'd also escaped the crown.  
  
They had a brief discussion about what to do while they had free time and while the temptation to explore was prevalent in both they finally returned to their original plan to find a way to leave this place. Every simulation they'd ever encountered had an emergency exit of sorts, this one should be no different — at least, that was the hope.  
  
Kathryn had a hunch they might find a way out on one of the lower levels so they made their way down a couple of flights. They briefly considered splitting up, but Chakotay didn't want to leave her side, for obvious reasons.  
  
He almost forgot about the simulation and the story in general — until they were headed off by Tyanna and two rather large men in a uniform he didn't recognise.  
  
He expected to be taken over, but remained wholly in control of his own body as the woman spoke.  
  
"I warned you," Tyanna growled.  
  
Kathryn shared a shocked glance with him. Obviously she hadn't been taken over either. "I beg your pardon," she responded angrily.  
  
Perhaps the end of the story was intentionally unscripted; a test of sorts, to see what the participants had learned of the tale?  
  
"Do not play the fool, Cyrsola," the woman snapped. "You play it so well, but the tune is getting old."  
  
Kathryn moved into her most commanding posture; head raised, eyes levelled to her target and intimidating glare fixed.  
  
"You're overstepping yourself, Tyanna," her voice sounded as dangerous as Chakotay had ever heard.  
  
Sensing that things were about to escalate, Chakotay stepped forward and placed a hand on the weapon at his side. Given that Kathryn had been injured yesterday, he couldn't take any chances. They hadn't been escorted — probably because the Priestess had exiled the Chancellor and his men. What he wouldn't give for those extra guards now, though.  
  
"No, Cyrsola, you have overstepped _yourself_ for far too long. It's time for a new star to rise."  
  
Chakotay managed to raise the shield he'd been introduced to yesterday, just in the nick of time. The two men with Tyanna pulled large and thick energy blades, attacking immediately. While he was a boxer, he preferred ranged weapons in combat, so the shield made it much easier for him to pull the weapon at his side. The thing wasn't quite like any weapon he'd ever seen and he regretted not studying the thing closer, before now. He wasn't even sure the device was a ranged weapon exactly. The slim apparatus fit over his knuckles; beyond that he was having trouble figuring out how the damn thing worked. Dodging blows from his opponent's weapons wasn't helping the situation either. Eventually, he managed to provoke a reaction from the thing. Balling his hand into a fist and pressing his fingers into the underside of the device shot out a bolt of electricity that narrowly missed one of his adversaries.  
  
Once he got used to it, he became a rather effective weapon, blocking with the shield and taking a swing with his — lightning dusters. He managed to take one of the men out of the fight rather quickly, blinding him with a direct hit to the face.  
  
But of course the story couldn't quite be that simple. He heard a cry from behind him and watched another pair of men, the Chancellor's guards, fighting with Kathryn. She wasn't getting very far in the ridiculous gown she'd been dressed in today.  
  
It appeared that they weren't trying to harm her, but they were trying to take her. There was no doubt in his mind as to their intention, though. If he let them take her, she might not leave the simulation alive.  
  
He used his shield to bash his opponent away and darted between Kathryn and one of her attackers, attempting to keep all three in line of site. Juggling the three proved rather difficult and soon one of the attackers managed to make it past him, lunging for Kathryn.  
  
"Give up, Captain. There are no Moon Guards on this entire floor and I have more people on the way," Tyanna taunted.  
  
At first Chakotay thought the woman was addressing Kathryn, until he remembered his character's rank. If she'd hoped to goad him or distract him, her attempt failed. But her words did serve as warning that he needed to end this fight quickly or they would be in trouble.  
  
Kathryn had found her footing and seemed to be doing a fair job of fighting her assailant, so Chakotay focussed on the other two. The man he'd shield bashed before was looking a little weak. Chakotay turned his attention, jabbing for his jaw. Who knew his boxing would come in handy in this simulation?  
  
The man didn't stand a chance once Chakotay was on the attack. He flailed, trying to block Chakotay's fist rather unsuccessfully, took a clean hit to the chin and went down hard.  
  
The Chancellor's guards were the only two remaining, for now. The one Chakotay was fighting seemed to be on the back foot after seeing what happened to his companion.  
  
He thought they might just get lucky; they might just get away, until he heard more boots on the tiled floor behind him. He managed to turn, seeing the Chancellor himself, with three more of his men.  
  
His priority shifted. If he couldn't get them both out of there, then he needed to allow Kathryn a chance to get away. He swung his shield in another attempt to bash his opponent, but the man dodged it, ending just behind Chakotay. He knew he'd made a mistake and the other guard took full advantage of the error.  
  
Chakotay felt something piece his side, shooting up through his left. The wind left him in a rush as the blade punctured twice more in quick succession.  
  
"Chakotay!" He heard Kathryn's voice shout. She was getting further away — they'd taken her.  
  
He'd failed.  
  
His entire body lost all energy and he slumped to the floor. He could feel the blood pouring down his side and couldn't help but wonder just how long he might have left.  
  
For a time he thought all was lost, until he heard light footfalls behind him. Moments later, one of the Priestess's handmaidens knelt over him, a hand pressing into his side, in an effort to stop the bleeding. He grunted in pain.  
  
"Captain, what happened?" The young woman questioned.  
  
"We were ambushed," Chakotay managed."The Chancellor and Tyanna — they have Ka— they have the Priestess."  
  
The young woman appeared almost at a loss, but she shook her head. "I need to get you to the infirmary."  
  
"No, we need to go after them," he objected.  
  
"Captain, your wounds are grave, if you aren't healed soon you will not live." She sounded so certain. Maybe this was part of the simulation — he was being given a choice of sorts, his life or Kathryn's. That was an easy choice; he couldn't possibly leave Kathryn's fate in the hands of the simulation.  
  
"No, help me save the Priestess," Chakotay objected.  
  
The handmaiden gave him an appraising look before nodding and helping him to his feet. "If Tyanna was with them — I'd wager they're headed to the central chamber."


	12. Chapter 12

Kathryn fought as best she could, desperate to see whether Chakotay was ok, but there were just too many of them. They bound her arms and practically dragged her through the corridors.  
  
She hadn't actually witnessed what happened to Chakotay, all she saw was that he was in combat with one of the Chancellor's guards and he went down. He had to be alright. Kathryn would never forgive herself if something happened to Chakotay.  
  
He'd made the suggestion that they should find a way to leave from the beginning — she should have listened. She could have agreed to the damn Chancellor's demands in the beginning and this all might be over.  
  
Ruminating over her bad decisions wasn't going to help Chakotay now, though. She needed to free herself and alert the Moon Guard. Of course that was going to be rather difficult. Surely this story wouldn't railroad her into a dead end.  
  
"The central chamber should be abandoned when we arrive," Tyanna told them. "But there are four entrances and the patrols will arrive a short time before Arvenbell. We must complete the transfer by then."  
  
"My men will do their job," the Chancellor responded. They didn't sound quite as amicable as Kathryn thought — maybe she could use that to her advantage.  
  
"She's using you," Kathryn attempted. "Once she has what she wants, she'll discard you."  
  
His eyes flicked between her and Tyanna and for a moment she thought she'd struck a chord, but he sneered and nodded to one of his men who hit her in the stomach, winding her.  
  
She couldn't speak for the remainder of the walk, which wasn't that long.  
  
One of the Chancellor's men dragged Kathryn to the side of the central chamber and the rest of the guards spread out to the four entrances.  
  
"What do you need?" The Chancellor asked impatiently.  
  
"Silence," Tyanna responded as she moved up to the edge of the volcano.  
  
Despite the danger she was in, Kathryn couldn't help but wonder what Tyanna was doing. Was she able to raise the lava level as well? That seemed unlikely. All she did, though, was stand, muttering under her breath.  
  
Kathryn thought it was the same chant she'd been reciting, but the occasional curse word could be heard over the bubbling lava.  
  
Tyanna tried to do whatever it was for a good five minutes before turning toward Kathryn in frustration. "Bring her here!"  
  
The guard that had dragged Kathryn in pulled her to her feet and shoved her in the direction of the fissure. She stumbled forward, managing to halt herself just short of Tyanna.  
  
"Summon Sieralla's blessing!" she growled.  
  
Kathryn glanced between the volcano and Tyanna before shaking her head. "I'd rather not." Even if she wanted to, she had no idea how to do so.  
  
"If you don't, I swear to you I will ruin this city when I take your power."  
  
Kathryn met her gaze levelly. The threat to destroy a simulated world wasn't — well, actually threatening.  
  
Tyanna rounded on her and seemed to be about to speak, when the doors to Kathryn's left burst open. Chakotay and one of the Priestess's handmaidens entered and Chakotay wasted no time using his unusual weapon on the two men posted near that door.  
  
The distraction threw everyone and they all completely missed the young handmaiden running to Kathryn's aid. As she made her way toward them she clapped her hands together, seemingly summoning the staff Kathryn had used out of the air. Once she was close enough she called out. "Your Grace," before tossing the staff to Kathryn.  
  
Despite her bound wrists, Kathryn caught the weapon without any issue and managed to hit the guard that had dragged her here, across the back of the head before he even realised what was happening. She rounded on Tyanna and though she knew nothing of how to use the staff's powers, she knew how to use a staff in melee. She used her momentum to swing the weapon low, knocking Tyanna to her feet.  
  
The bindings around her wrists were only a minor inconvenience, but that didn't stop the young handmaiden from racing up to her to untie them. The young woman then darted toward the back of the room, away from the guards.  
  
Tyanna held her hands up in a placating manner, but Kathryn couldn't risk letting her go. She slammed the butt of the staff into the woman's forehead, to at least knock her unconscious.  
  
The rest of the fight wasn't going too well, however. Chakotay had taken a knee, still shooting bolts of lightning at their attackers, as the remaining guards and the Chancellor fired projectile weapons in his direction. Kathryn had to figure out how to use the staff to fend them off.  
  
She concentrated on one of the guards over the other side of the room, imagining the flare that had been summoned by the Priestess yesterday.  
  
The end of the staff began to light, radiating heat before a wave of energy burst forth, engulfing the room. The burst had been high enough that it missed Chakotay and apparently Kathryn's handmaiden had known what to expect, because she dropped to the floor. The Chancellor and his guards weren't so lucky.  
  
Singed corpses hit the floor, the only potential survivors were those Chakotay and Kathryn had already struck down.  
  
She expected Chakotay to stand, to come to her, but he fell, clutching his side.  
  
Kathryn turned to the handmaiden. "Summon a medic!"  
  
Their story couldn't end like this — not now! She rushed to Chakotay, finally seeing the extent of his injuries. The wound at his side was a mess and he'd taken a projectile to the chest, above his right lung.  
  
"Chakotay," she tossed the staff to the side and placed her hands firmly over his chest wound. "You're going to be alright, Chakotay. There's a medic on the way!" Was she trying to reassure him or herself? "Just hold on, please."  
  
"Kathryn," was all he managed before his hands went limp, falling from his side.  
  
"No, no, no, Chakotay — please, Chakotay. _Please!_ " she begged. "Don't leave me!"


	13. Chapter 13

"I think I've found where they are," Harry announced. "Sort of." He stood to the side of one of the four pillars, examining a PADD with a thoughtful frown.  
  
"Sort of?" Tom questioned with a grin.  
  
"Well, I don't think they're in a physical location."  
  
He appeared to be about to elaborate when Seven cut in, Tom hadn't even noticed that she was listening. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Ah," Harry motioned to the display on his PADD before seeming to realise that whatever he was trying to show them was far too small to show them both at the same time. Instead, he handed the PADD to Seven and began to explain. Tom might have been offended, but he wasn't much of an engineer.  
  
"It's like... a transporter buffer," he explained. "But they're conscious."  
  
"Hence the simulation," Seven surmised.  
  
"Exactly," Harry gave a brilliant grin.  
  
"That makes sense," Seven said with an appreciative nod.  
  
"It does?" Tom muttered.  
  
Neither seemed to notice, they were too focussed on Harry's breakthrough.  
  
"Have you discovered how to retrieve their patterns yet?"  
  
Harry winced and cocked his head to the side. "Ah — well, not exactly, not yet."  
  
_What was that supposed to mean?_  
  
_"Tuvok to away team,”_ the Lieutenant Commander broke their conversation.  
  
Tom tapped his comm badge. "Paris here."  
  
_"Lieutenant Torres has made a rather disturbing discovery,"_ Tuvok got right to the point. _"The simulation is some kind of test that she believes will result in the death of either the Captain or the Commander."_  
  
Tom exchanged a concerned glance with Harry and Seven. Well that was certain to light a fire under them. "Harry discovered their location," Tom responded slowly. "They appear to be in some kind of transporter buffer."  
  
_"Will you be able to retrieve them?"_  
  
Tom glanced to Harry for the answer. The young man cleared his throat anxiously and actually took a step forward before answering. "I believe so, Sir, but I only just discovered the buffer."  
  
_"Very well, keep me apprised of your progress."_  
  
"Will do, Sir," Tom answered. The channel closed, but none of them needed any further encouragement.  
  
Seven requested a download of Harry's findings so that they could both work on the retrieval. Hopefully one of them would find the answer, and soon.  
  
In about five hours the sun would rise and, given the sphere's design, Tom figured they probably only had that long before the test ran its course.


	14. Chapter 14

She'd been staring at the ceiling for hours. A part of her expected this _damn_ simulation to end the moment her enemies had been defeated, but she was still stuck here. Three days. _Three damn days_ and Voyager hadn't managed to locate them yet.  
  
What if they'd been wrong? What if Lyalla was lying and they'd actually travelled through time? Then she truly was alone here.  
  
Her stomach turned again. She had to close her eyes and take a slow, deep breath to settle herself. The entire night she'd moved from weeping uncontrollably to retching in the ensuite and back to crying.  
  
She thought she might just remain here the rest of her life, but the _damn_ simulation had other ideas. Her body became rigid as a scripted scene commenced. Seconds later, there was a tap at the door and four handmaidens entered.  
  
It was still dark — surely they couldn't be here to get her ready for the day?  
  
One of the women moved around with a beacon light and placed it on her nightstand.  
  
"Your Grace, the ceremony will commence soon."  
  
The Priestess seemed to have the same difficulty moving as Kathryn had. They were kindred spirits in many ways, the way they dealt with grief notwithstanding.  
  
"I can't," she managed.  
  
"Then Sieralla will not rise," one of the women stated — the woman who had given her the staff. "And Hyidar will have sacrificed himself for nothing."  
  
She glared at the woman, but she wasn't deterred.  
  
The Priestess summoned the strength from somewhere and rose, standing limply as the women dressed her. Kathryn watched in the tall stand mirror, by the window, as they decked her in a rather lavish, black gown, hemmed with gold, red and orange sunbursts. Her crown matched, once again.  
  
_Did this culture wear black to mourn too or was this pulled from Human culture?_ Her mind seemed to fixate on the question. It seemed mundane, maybe it was, but she truly wished for an answer. Obviously this simulation had borrowed a lot from their knowledge of Human culture, like the appearance of the people in the palace, for instance. But then there had been some things that were perhaps too alien to translate — the blessing of Sieralla and the books, for instance.  
  
It was still night as they escorted her through the halls. She caught a glimpse out the window of one of the moons, low on the horizon, the other was nowhere in sight.  
  
They entered the main hall where hundreds of men and women awaited her arrival. The Moon Guard were all arranged in rank and file toward the front of the room and as she passed the people in the aisles, they placed a hand over their eyes.  
  
She approached the dais, but didn't take the seat, turning instead to address those gathered.  
  
"Sieralla stays dark, for she knows our pain. The loss of Guard Captain Hyidar is -” she choked and had to take a deep breath before continuing. "The loss of Guard Captain Hyidar is severe indeed."  
  
She paused and Kathryn wasn't entirely too sure whether that was for effect, or because the Priestess had lost momentum.  
  
One of the handmaidens stepped forward, proffering the staff to her again and she took it, rather glumly.  
  
"This night each year, Sieralla shall delay her rise to mark a time of mourning for our departed champion. May he remain in our hearts and minds as long as we reign."  
  
She took her seat and watched as everyone in the aisles bowed their head, before bowing her own.  
  
There they remained for around a minute before the sun began to rise, light peaking through the soft curtains over the broad windows.  
  
Kathryn felt her body relax again before the world changed once again.


	15. Chapter 15

_"I'm having trouble with the second signal,"_ Kathryn heard a voice — Harry's voice.  
  
She felt woozy and stumbled forward, caught by someone. An irrational part of her mind hoped that it was Chakotay who placed a hand on her arm to stabilise her. When she glanced up she had to fight the disappointment in her gut when she came face to face with Tom.  
  
They'd found a way to get her out of the simulation, she guessed. _Too late._  
  
"Welcome back, Captain," Tom said lightly, before moving her a step to the left. He released her, but seemed to be assessing her condition. "How are you feeling?"  
  
_Shattered. Lonely. Anguished._  
  
"I'm — fine," she lied. In an attempt to hide her despair from her crew, she placed a hand over her eyes and rubbed her temples — this also helped with the dizziness.  
  
_"I've got him,”_ Harry's voice spoke again. She glanced around in confusion. He wasn't nearby; he must have been back at the shuttle.  
  
Within a set of signal enhancers, placed just where she'd been standing, a figure shimmered into being: Chakotay.  
  
Though he seemed woozy as well, his hands immediately moved to his side. He pulled them away, bloodless, a smile blooming on his face.  
  
"Chakotay," she breathed. "You're alive."  
  
Kathryn could hardly believe her eyes. She honestly wasn't sure she'd witnessed a more beautiful sight in her entire life.  
  
"We have them both, Harry," Tom spoke. He turned to the half dozen people milled around and gave a nod. They began to pack away the equipment strewn around the area.  
  
He took a step toward her, but hesitated when he noticed everyone else around. The crew would find out about them at some stage, but perhaps now wasn't the best time — not when their relationship was so new. Still, she moved close enough to place a hand on his arm. The touch was reassuring if for nothing other than to affirm that he was _actually_ standing there.  
  
"Captain, Commander, we should leave the area. Our scans have shown that the sphere will activate again at sunrise," Tom told them.  
  
Kathryn had a great deal of difficulty peeling her gaze from Chakotay and spared Tom only a momentary nod before they followed, arm in arm.  
  
They didn't really have much of an opportunity to speak during the shuttle ride. They _did_ however find out that they'd only been missing for about eight and a half hours. The crew managed to figure out that they were trapped in some kind of simulation, though they didn't know much — beyond that it was a trial of some sort. They hadn't managed to find out the cultural significance of the test, but Kathryn could guess.  
  
They asked a lot of questions, even Seven seemed rather curious about their time in the simulation. Tom, of course wanted to know about their characters, probing for any details they were willing to part with. Harry and Seven's questions were more about the planet's culture, architecture and technology.  
  
The probability that the world created within the simulation was loosely based on Human culture, due to the participants being Human, deflated the questioning a little.  
  
Once they finally returned to Voyager the Doctor insisted that they come to sickbay. Given that they'd both been injured in the simulation, Kathryn wasn't opposed to the idea — she needed to know that Chakotay was ok, _really_ ok.  
  
She hadn't counted on the Doctor requesting they remain for the rest of the day. Apparently they had abnormal levels of serotonin and the Doctor wanted to monitor them to make sure the levels didn't remain above the norm for too long.  
  
They hadn't been there long before B'Elanna came to visit. At first Kathryn thought she might be here for a check up, but she approached their bio-beds, tapping a PADD against the palm of her hand.  
  
"I'm not sure if the away team told you, but I was working on translating the pillars," she began. "The story in the simulation is apparently loosely based on an event about around twelve thousand years ago."  
  
She handed the PADD to Chakotay, who began to skim through it, but she gave an abbreviated version. "There was a large comet on course to hit the system's star, details are vague, but the scientists of the time believed the comet would destroy the star — along with the rest of the system." She smirked at the idea.  
  
"The comet's course would cause it to narrowly miss the planet and, well I guess the scientist's calculations were wrong, the comet hit one of their two moons, destroying it. The orbit of their planet was thrown out, tilting its axis ever so slightly; basically creating a solstice — of sorts."  
  
"The longest night," Kathryn mused.  
  
B'Elanna cocked her head quizzically.  
  
"At the beginning of the simulation the narrator told us that this was the story of the longest night."  
  
Many aspects of the story made more sense now. Hyidar was the moon sacrificing itself for their sun: the Priestess.  
  
Obviously Chakotay reached the same conclusion. He nodded thoughtfully. "The simulation was a rather poetic interpretation."  
  
"Well, I'm just glad we got you out in time. Apparently the trials ended in the death of one participant."  
  
Kathryn exchanged a glance with Chakotay. He appeared as shaken as she felt and she couldn't help but wonder whether he'd have actually died if Harry hadn't figured out how to use the transporter to get them out.  
  
He hadn't died, that was the important thing; even if she'd begun to live through mourning him. She made a mental note to thank Harry for his work.  
  
"I should get back to engineering, I'm sure you guys could use some rest," with that B'Elanna left and with the Doctor out giving Icheb and Naomi their chemistry lesson, they were finally alone.  
  
They sat in silence for a short time, before Chakotay asked: "What do you think the purpose of the simulation was?" He sounded a little nervous as he spoke — did he expect her to end things?  
  
She shook her head. "Why would anyone willingly enter a scenario where one or both of you is likely to die?"  
  
"Maybe they had no choice?"  
  
Kathryn shifted on her bio-bed to face him. "Or maybe there's a way for both parties to survive."  
  
"That's a possibility," he agreed.  
  
When their conversation lulled again Kathryn realised that Chakotay would never press the question of 'what happened now'. She'd already resolved the question in her mind, though. She'd never have allowed herself to be swept away by the simulation, if she wasn't willing to follow through, even here.  
  
"Chakotay," she began softly.  
  
"It's ok, Kathryn," he responded before she could get another word in. "You don't have to — I understand, I really do."  
  
"I love you."  
  
He obviously hadn't expected that response. His expression became more than a little confused, but dare she say, far happier.  
  
"I do, Chakotay. I love you and I'm not going back on what I said."  
  
This time he needed no more prompting. He jumped down from his bio-bed and cupped her head in his hands, pulling her into a gentle, but passionate kiss.  
  
He pulled away for a breath and drew her in to a warm and comforting embrace. "I love you too, Kathryn." Of that she had no doubts.  
  
Life aboard was about to be a whole lot more interesting and a whole lot more wonderful.


End file.
